


The More Things Change

by MelodyoftheVoid



Series: The More Things Change [1]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Gen, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21815104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodyoftheVoid/pseuds/MelodyoftheVoid
Summary: Gaz knows something is up with her brother.
Relationships: Dib & Gaz (Invader Zim)
Series: The More Things Change [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1571875
Comments: 7
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

Gaz knew there was something up with her brother.

As much as she spent time with her eyes glued to her Game-Slave, even she could see that he’d changed. Not drastically like last time of course, but enough to give her pause.

If she could pinpoint the moment when things started to shift, she’d point to about three weeks ago. It started with another one of Dib’s paranormal hunts, this one fairly local. He’d insisted for days that this time he would get proof, that the world would see that he’d always been right. Gaz zoned out pretty quickly after that. Of course, this happened to be the same Friday night that Professor Membrane decided to come home for once. A separate incident brought him to the conclusion he needed to spend more time with his children, and he kept to his word. One of Professor Membrane’s patented lectures about the future followed when he caught Dib trying to sneak out the back door with his laptop and some odds and ends. The ensuing argument ended with Dib slamming the door proclaiming, “I’LL SHOW YOU ALL” before he ran off into the night.

Dib came back later, around 10 o’clock. He walked uncharacteristically quiet up to his room, not even glancing at his family members in the living room. Gaz and her father shared a brief concerned glance before deciding to leave him alone. Dib probably needed some space, something they were more than willing to provide. The rest of the weekend passed in a similar manner; Dib would quietly move from room to room, rarely making eye contact, lost in thought at all hours. Gaz was beginning to worry by the time Monday rolled around, but it seemed like there was no need for that concern.

He walked with her to skool, as usual, and happily talked about the latest news on the Swelled Eye forums or whatever that stupid organization was called. Halfway through a sentence about Bigfoot he stopped abruptly then sheepishly asked what game she was playing, as if scolded. Gaz stopped for a moment but gave a brief answer. Later that night, he challenged her to a game of Vampire Kart, because he’d allegedly practiced and felt he could hold his own. He couldn’t.

This continued for a few days, with Dib asking about her day or playing (futilely) against her before Gaz started to notice other, larger changes.

Much to her shock, Dib started to hang out with a handful of other skoolkids. She almost broke her neck when she saw Gretchen sit with him at lunch, followed by some other losers she didn’t know. He actually seemed to be having a conversation with them rather than talking wildly without regard for the people around him. He kept quiet when they spoke, another oddity. Every once in a while, his eyes would glance at a spot near him as if looking for approval before returning to his peers. Stories about his outbursts in class dwindled to the occasional insult that came out louder then intended. 

At home, Dib actually spent time there, rather than spend every waking moment theorizing about or terrorizing Zim. Gaz didn’t mind this, as having to constantly hear about Zim’s antics grated on her nerves like nothing else. The fact that after a year of attempts he’d barely managed to accomplish anything relegated Zim to a nonexistent threat at best (she tried not to think about the Florpus, or the terror of almost losing her whole family to that cable snapping). Family nights still felt tense, but what else was new. Dib’s new habit of asking about her hobby of choice led to a new family night though, with Dib and Gaz bonding over multiple matches of the party game of choice. Playing against Dib felt comfortable, despite how awful the results of his efforts were most of the time. The two of them felt closer than they’d ever been in the years they’d lived pretty much on their own in the Membrane house.

But the changes in the house expanded to more than the family dynamic, much to Gaz’s dismay and budding horror.

Odd events seemed to happen late at night with alarming frequency. A strange glow would fill the halls, fading after a few moments like a passing flashlight. A laugh that certainly didn’t belong to anyone in her family, a woman’s, fleeting and faint. She asked Dib if something followed him home that night, realizing how absurd this scenario was when he denied any supernatural activities occurring in their house. Dib so often made outlandish claims much to the dismay of the general public and his family, now he seemed doubtful of a haunting when even Professor Membrane mentioned the house being draftier than usual. Gaz couldn’t believe this, a possible ghost in the house and Dib outright denying any such events? Impossible. There had to be an explanation for all of this, and she could suspect what it was.

Gaz knew something was up with her brother, because her brother’s eyes weren’t blue.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've drawn a lot of art for this au, so I'm going to try and post art at the end of each fic!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lack of color, I'm still working on that.

**Author's Note:**

> Usual first fic disclaimer, apologies for any bad grammar/misspellings. This is part one of a larger thing so we'll see if I can follow through.


End file.
